Launching into Lent (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

Early on Ash Wednesday morning, I walked into our living room. It was still dark, but the sun was coming up, and the sunlight was shining right on our Chinese Nativity scene.

It made me feel as if God was saying, “Just keep your eyes on Jesus, and your Lent will be just fine.”

So, here we go.

~2~

Some years my Lenten sacrifice presents itself to me. This year, though, I wasn’t feeling called to give up anything in particular. So, on Mardi Gras, when I was driving our younger son to school, I asked him what I should sacrifice.

He was quiet for a minute and then said confidently, “Country music.”

“Wow,” I said. “That would be really hard.” I listen to music when I am cooking and doing dishes and driving and…well…a fair amount.

Then he turned and gave me a smile.

“No, wait!” he said. “You should give up singing along to country music.”

Then he said goodbye, jumped out of the car, and ran up the steps to school. And I was left wondering whether my singing is as terrible as he thinks it is—and trying to decide what to do. There’s nothing sinful about listening to country music—or singing along with it. But when I asked my older son—and shared what his younger brother had said—he was completely in agreement. He knew it would be difficult for me, and he seemed to think it would be a great challenge.

I decided it was worth a try. For Lent, I’m not listening to music when I’m with my children because I can’t listen to music and not sing along. I’m not sure what this will achieve, but it’s much harder than I thought it would be. And I have noticed that it means I am in silence more often, which is probably good. Maybe I am leaving more space to hear God and my family.

~3~

We have had some extraordinary skies lately.

I don’t always see the sunrise because I’m busy packing lunches and making breakfast. And I don’t often see the sunset because I’m finishing up my workday and starting to make dinner.

But when I catch a beautiful sky, I’m in awe of God’s creativity and the gifts he gives us each day to show us how much he loves us—and hopes we love this world he created for us to enjoy.

~4~

The first days of Lent always feel a little rocky to me as I try to find my rhythm to this season, and our basket of prayer intentions really makes Lent for me.

I love seeing whose name comes out of the basket each morning and then carrying that person with us throughout the day.

It is so simple and yet so beautiful. And, as our children get older, I’m grateful that it’s a tradition we can stick with. So many traditions change as children grow, but I hope this one can stay with us.

~5~

When our children were younger, I was less worried that they would accidentally eat meat on a Lenten Friday or Ash Wednesday. Now that we have two teens, though, I do have to keep an eye on things because 14 is the age for abstinence from meat.

On a normal day, our sons can eat whatever they want whenever they want, and I encourage them to help themselves when they’re hungry. Just in case they reached for the salami or pepperoni, I left a note in the fridge on the meat drawer.

It worked this time, but Lent is just beginning.

~6~

This might be up for debate, but I feel strongly that the best sandwich in Baltimore is the salmon BLT from Neopol Smokery at Belvedere Square.

With the smoked salmon, bacon, lettuce, bread, and some kind of sauce that I haven’t quite figured out, the sandwich is absolutely delectable. The smoked salmon isn’t lox; it’s like cooked salmon but with a little bit of a smoky flavor.

If it’s Friday, you can ask for slices of green apple instead of bacon. But I recommend going on a day when you can have bacon. Apples are delicious and we all love apples. We should all eat more apples. But apples simply aren’t equivalent to bacon.

I feel a twinge of guilt mentioning bacon in a Lenten Quick Takes, but there are six other days of the week when you can enjoy your salmon BLT. And a salmon ALT really wouldn’t be that penitential.

~7~

One day last week when I was visiting my parents, my 7-year-old niece came running into the house to give her grandmother a handful of crocuses. She was so pleased with herself, especially as my mother went to find a lovely little crystal vase to hold them.

Her 3-year-old cousin must have heard how well the flowers went over because 10 minutes later, she was running into the house with her own handful for Grandma.

It was such a beautiful reminder that one small act of kindness can inspire another.

Naturally, the children are ready to share all the Lenten lessons we need, if we just have time to notice.

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